Process of treating fibers of annual growth for industrial purposes.



Patented July-l5, I902.

S. D. EDISON. PROCESS OF TREATING FJBEBS OF ANNUAL GROWTH FDR lNDUSTBlALPURPOSES.

(Application filed June 19, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

Witngesses THE NONE-IS vzrms co. PHQTO'LITHOH wAsHmu'roN. n. c

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

No. 704,698. Patented iuly 15, I902.

S. 0. EDiSON.

PROCESS OF TREATING FIBERS OF ANNUAL GROWTH FOR INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES.

(Application filed. June 19, 1900.)

(No Modei.)

Witnesses:

UNITED STATES/Y PATENT OFFICE.

SIMEON OGDEN EDISON, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OF TREATING FIBERS OF ANNUAL GROWTH FOR INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 704,698, dated. July15, 1902.

Application filed June 19,1900. Serial 1%. 20,813. (No specimens.) I

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SIMEON OGDEN EDISON,

a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the countyof Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and titiesof these annual fibers are produced in this country; but, so far asIknow, they have never been efiectively utilized for an industrialpurpose. in those sections of the United States where the greatestquantities of these annual fibers are produced the supply of availablefuel is very much restricted. By my process I aim to convert the naturalor dried fibers referred to into an efi'ective fuel of such a characterthat a smoldering flame will be obtained therefrom, as in the burning ofcoal, asdis-. tinguished froma blaze, as results from the ignition andconsumption of wood.

In carrying my invention into effect'I first take the fibers in theirnatural lengths without any cutting by special machinery and subjectthem to the effect of heat, either by a boilingin water or by atreatment with steam, until the fibers are softened, but havenotentirelylost their identity and are still more or:

less continuous, and I then subject the mass which has thus been treatedto a heavy compression, by which water will be expressed from the massand the latter formed into blocks or other shaped pieces of the desiredsize, which, with or without further drying, are in condition for use asan effective fuel. When the fibers are desiccated or straw-like incharacter, they may be immediately subjected to heat for treatment asexplained; but when freshly out they should first be allowed to dry byexposure to the atmosphere.

In order that my invention may be better understood, attention isdirected to the accompanying drawings, wherein I illustrate a convenientmachine for compressing the mass It appears to be a fact that of fibersafter they have been treated by heat and removing the water therefrom.

Figure 1 represents a plan view thereof; Fig. 2, a vertical sectionalview; Fig. 3, a section on the line 3 30f Fig. 2, and Fig. 4a section onthe line 4 4.- of Fig. 2.

In all of the above views corresponding parts are represented by thesame numerals of reference.

Before describing the compressing-machine in detail the preliminarytreatment to which the fibers are subjected before being com pressed maybe briefly referred to. The natural fibers of annual growth-such asgrasses, grains, corn, sugar-cane, &c.--whether in the natural form ormore or less straw-like in character, are first subjected to heat,eitherby being cooked in water or by being subjected tosteam in a closedvessel, until the fibers are softened, but have not entirely lost theiridentity and are still more or less continuous.

It will of course be understood that lime-water may be employed tofacilitate the cooking, as is done in the manufacture of strawboard.These fibers are subjected to this treatment preferably in their naturallengths, as they do not require any special cutting into shorterlengths. The resulting heated mass after heing drained as much aspossible of superfluous water is then compressed, the water beingsimultaneously expressed therefrom.

- Referring now to the apparatus shown in the drawings,which may beconveniently used for carrying my process into effect, 1 represents abox having a curved bottom and formed with a hopper 2, into which theheated mass may be introduced. The box or body 1 is formed with a roundopening 3 at its end, and connected therewith is a cylinder 4., boltedin place to the front wall of the body, as shown. This cylinder, asshown in Fig. 3, is formed, preferably, of a series of slats, each beingrectangular in cross-sectiomwhereby channels are formed between theslatsfor the escape of water expressed fromthe mass during the compressionthereof. In order to reduce the longitudinal friction of themass in itspassage through the cylinder 4;, I-make the slats forming the samealternately thick and thin, as shown, so that the material in transitthrough the cylinder will bear the greatest friction only upon therelatively limited area of the thicker slats. Connected to the openouter end of the cylinder 4 is a tapered chamber 5, formed also of aseriesof slats, as shown, which preferably are alternatelythick and thinfor the same purpose as that explained. At the extreme end of thetapered chamber 5 is a cylindrical pipe 6, secured in place, asshown,tie-rods 7 being employed to strengthen the parts referred to and toresist the longitudinal thrust. Mounted in the body 1 is a main shaft 8,which carries a screw 9 thereon for feeding the material deposited inthe hopper 2 and forcing such material into the cylindrical chamber 4:.Mounted in said chamber is a screw 10, which forms a continuation of thescrew 9 and is rotated therefrom. The screw 10 is preferably made of thesame external diameter throughout, as shown, so as to fit more or lessclosely in the cylindrical chamber 4; but its body or core is graduallytapered toward the body 1, so as to offer a smaller space for thepassage of the material between the threads of the screw as the materialprogresses away from the body, whereby the material will be subjected toa gradual compression and the water therein will be expressed betweenthe slats forming the body. Connected to the screw 10 and forming acontinuation thereof is a tapered screw 11,- which works within thetapered chamber 5 and which also effects a further compression of thematerial. The screw 11 carries at its extreme outer end a cylindricalcore 12, which fits within the pipe 6, so that the material expelled bythe screw 11 from the tapered chamber 5 is caused to pass around thecore 12 and between said core and the pipe 6, whereby the material willbe formed into a continuous tube having a bore dependent upon the sizeof the core 12.

In order to rotate the shaft 8, so as to turn the several screws of thedevice, any suitable driving mechanism may be employed. For

this purpose I show a spur-gear 13 keyed to the shaft 8 adjacent to thebody 1 and driven by a pinion 14 on a counter-shaft 15. A spurgear 16 onsaid counter-shaft is driven from a pinion on the driving-shaft 17, saidshaft having a belt-wheel18, to which power is applied: In order toresist the thrust of the screws 9, 10, and 11, the shaft 8 takes into aheavy thrust-bearing 19 at its outer end, as shown.

The material, after it has been compressedandwaterexpelledtherefrom,passingthrough the pipe 6 around the core 12,is cut up into convenient lengths by any desired form ofcutting-machine. In the drawings I illustrate a cutting device haviugapair of rotary cutters 20 geared together, as shown, by gears 21 andcarrying one or more cutting-blades Obviously by providing the cutterseach screw 9 into the cylindrical chamber 4.

with more than one cutting-blade the material will be cut into shorterlengths. Power is applied to one of the gears 21 by a pinion 23 from abelt-wheel 24, which receives power in any suitable way.

It will be understood that the material after it has been subjected toheat is deposited in the hopper 2 and is forced therefrom by tl[1e nthis chamber the material will be subjected to a gradually-increasingpressure imposed thereon by the screw 10, so that water will beexpressed from the material and will escape between the slats formingthe cylindrical body. From the cylindrical chamber 1 the material isforced into the tapering chamber 5, in which it is subjected to furtherpres sure and an additional percentage of water expressed therefrom,whereby the material will enter the pipe 6 sufficiently free from wateras to be combustible. In the pipe 6 the material in passing around thecore 12 will be formed into a continuous tube, which will be cut up intosections of the desired length between the two cutting-blades 22 22 ofthe cutting device. By forming the combustible material into tubularsections, as is preferable, a more rapid and complete drying thereof canbe secured than would otherwise be the case.

Having now described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. The process of treating straw and other annual vegetable fibers forconverting them into combustible briquets, consisting in cooking thefibers by subjecting them to the effect of a moist heat until the fibersare softened but have notentirely lost their identity, and finally insimultaneously expressing water from the mass and compressing the massinto combustible blocks, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

2. The process of treating straw and other annual vegetable fibers forconverting them into combustible briquets, consisting in cooking thefibers by subjecting them to the effect of a moist heat until the fibersare softened but have not entirely lost their identity, insimultaneously expressing water from the mass so treated and forming themass into a continuous longitudinally-moving body, and in finallycutting such body by cross-cuts into blocks of the desired length,substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 8th day of June, 1900.

SIMEON OGDEN EDISON.

Witnesses:

FRANK L. DYER, S. O. EDMONDS.

